The consumer and commercial markets for mobile devices (or other devices of limited size or form factor) such as cellular phones, digital media players, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and similar devices is rapidly growing and has been gaining momentum for some time. Advances in chip technology, ergonomics, user interface (UI) technology, software applications, and the like often spur additional growth potential for many of these devices. Accordingly, many mobile devices are becoming more powerful, capable of delivering increasing functionality, while at the same time becoming less expensive, more compact, and more convenient to operate and carry.
As a result, mobile device or other devices of limited form factor have the potential to deliver a great deal of computational power. However, such devices also often underscore some of the fundamental challenges associated with the various limitations of these devices, such as small screen size, limited keyboard, short battery life, complex operation and/or high prices due to the need to embed UI components in such a small form factor. These and other limitations can substantially hinder the utility and proliferation of some mobile devices.
In accordance therewith, the consumer and commercial markets for these mobile devices are faced with difficulties in which current trends in the area do not appear adequate to solve. In particular, users of most mobile devices desire simpler, smaller, less expensive hardware, but on the other hand users also desire mobile devices that can provide a richer set of functionality, yet remain simple to use. Miniaturization of electronic devices has reached the point where significant computing power can be delivered in devices smaller than a matchbook. Hence, miniaturization is no longer the primary technological bottleneck for meeting the demands of consumers. Rather, the challenges are increasingly leaning toward the user interface of such devices.
For example, technology exists for building a full-featured cellular phone (or other device) that is no larger than a given user's thumb, yet packing a display, keyboard, and other UI features in such a small area is all but impossible. Even devices that that have opted to forego keyboards in favor of touch-screen I/O present numerous challenges for the implementation of a successful UI.